Bethlehem animal cruelty case continued

BANTAM >> Criminal proceedings in the Bethlehem animal cruelty case that led to the confiscation of more than 60 dogs by the town, was continued again Wednesday.

Frederick Acker, 62, 359 Spring Hill Road, Monroe, was scheduled to appear in Bantam Superior Court on 62 counts of animal cruelty but his case has been extended until Feb. 13. During the very brief court proceeding, which Acker did not attend, the case was continued because he still does not have an attorney.

Acker operates the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) (not affiliated with ASPCA), and is charged with failing to provide adequate food, water and shelter for 62 dogs, according to the arrest warrant. State Police and animal control officers confiscated over 60 dogs from a barn used as a shelter, located on Watertown Road in Bethlehem.

Animal Control Officer Judy Umstead, discovered the dogs after having an ongoing concern of their living conditions and it being too cold. After repeatedly visiting SPCA and temperatures consistently being near freezing, the dogs were taken to local shelters and four them were taken to a local veterinary clinic, according to the affidavit.

Advertisement

Acker said he was in the process of upgrading heat and insulation on the barn, located on property he does not own, but that October's Superstorm Sandy and a subsequent snowstorm delayed the process.

The town of Bethlehem is pursuing an injunction against Acker in a civil case, to gain custody of the dogs and provide good homes. If Judge Wilson Trombley decides in favor of the town Acker will have to pay $15 a day up until the day a settlement is reached, totaling $60,000.

At last Friday's civil court proceeding, Trombley committed to make a decision regarding the injunction from the bench on Feb. 14.